Life With The Crew

The "R" Word

So.  What does one say on a personal blog during a time like this?  I have never really talked about politics or current events in this space.  I feel that there are enough outlets for that and that is not what people would want to see here.  I also feel that in this chaotic climate, if you accidently use the incorrect wording or hashtag, you will be unfairly judged.  (I have seen this happen on IG this week and it really made me mad.  A person with very good intentions was basically yelled at in a very petty manner.  Incidents like that are not helping this world to become a better place.)  So I will state clearly that I do very much believe that Black Lives Matter.  My big thing is respect - if everyone showed more of it, this world would be a better place.  Unfortunately there isn't a pill for that.

Something that made me smile this week was seeing my Sage plant bloom.  It has not attempted to bloom this early before and I'm not sure why.  I have several varieties and I don't pay attention to what is what.  Normally I don't let my herbs go to flower until the end of the season, but this was such a surprise and I wanted to see what it looked like, so I let it do its thing.

And since it is Sunday, we had a family morning at the barn.  It was a quiet perfect trail ride.  We don't go far physically, but mentally I travel to a very happy state.  (We flushed a deer in the woods right ahead of us and Frank was a very calm boy about it.)

Have a good week everyone.  Remember the "R" word - a little respect goes a long way.

Snow Squalls, Seeds, Stories, and Sweaters

Today was a great day and the past week was productive!  For the past three weeks, we have been doing Sunday family mornings at the barn and ending our ring work with a trail ride up the hill and into the woods.  With each week, the new pony gets more used to being a little girl's pony instead of an adult eventing pony.  Kermit's worse habit is having roaming lips - that includes grass, clothing, and whatever else is in reach.  I am not used to such a grabby horse (my own horse is a well refined gentleman TB) and Kermit's soft loose lips are both amusing and annoying.  However, he is very tolerant and lets the small person on his back move all around up there, doing around the world, riding without stirrups, attempting to ride without reins and stirrups...

It was a productive week in the garden, despite the snow squalls.  I was lucky to get my seed order in at High Mowing Seeds before they shut down new orders until the end of the month.  My potato order from Wood Prairie Farm way up in Maine near the Canadian border arrived super quick!  And I was able to place a pick-up order at my local flower shop for onion sets, so the garden is filling up pretty quickly.  Greens, spinach, potatoes, beets, carrots.  Because the Winter was mild, I had some carrots over winter and their leafy green tops bring some cheery green to the otherwise bare garden.  The garlic crop is already 5 inches high and it looks like most of the herbs survived.  Comfrey is taking over my yard!  I knew that it spread when I planted it, but the extent of the spreading is crazy.  Oh well, it is good for the soil when it decomposes and it gets very pretty little blue flowers in early Summer.

On the knitting front, I completed an open front cardigan for girls size 4-5T with an owl design.  I used O-Wool's Balance yarn, a mix of organic cotton and Merino wool and I am now a convert.  I don't like straight cotton - too crunchy for my liking - but this yarn is very soft with a nice drape.  If you're interested, it is listed in my Etsy shop.  Also, I sent out my first custom order and received a positive review, so YEAH!!

There are of course changes that we are dealing with, but overall, life is good.  We have chickens to play with, great audiobooks for free (Alice in Wonderland and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm were two from this week), horses to ride, and woods to explore.  I hope you are able to find something good in each day.

 

A Special Request

I had a special request this morning for a blog post, so here it is. 

Monday morning, the rising sun is shining in the window, so strong that I have to line myself up in the right position behind the window trim so that I can look at the computer facing the window.  It is only the last week of February, so the woodstove is keeping us warm.  Normally it is still burning into the beginning of April, but we'll see what happens in this strangely warm year.  We heard a Mourning Dove calling last week and the Starlings made the first attack on the House Sparrow nesting boxes already.  At the barn yesterday, there were two starlings inside the ring, making Frank extremely nervous with their maniacal cackles.  

We are listening to one of the American Girls audiobooks - "Kit", which is about a girl growing up during the Great Depression.  As with all of the AG stories, they are very well written and historically factual.  Each story ends with information about the time period - I always learn things too!  Forget the expensive American Girl vinyl dolls - the books are fantastic educational entertainment.  

The pictures below are of our very bold chicken.  It is now a daily occurrence to see her walking the fence line.  I actually saw her walk from the far side of the gate, along the top of the gate, and all the way over to the shed door where I swear she gave it the beady eyeball as if calculating if she could somehow get inside (where the birdseed is kept).  I should clip her wings, but she amuses me and the dogs are now too old to really care.

Happy Monday everyone and a special hello to my devoted reader!  

Oh, and I almost forgot, I have a new merino wool shawl in my Etsy shop!  

Children, Ice, and Loons

Horrible weather!  That is what most adults (and some kids) would say.  Ice, not snow.  Cold, but not cold enough.  Slippery, not powdery.  Yes, the weather conditions are not the best, but right now my daughter is outside, somewhere in the back yard, touching, exploring, absorbing, the wonders of the ice.  Yes, ice makes things dangerous and causes many problems, not just for people (see note below), but it can also be beautiful and I'm glad my daughter still sees that beauty.

The following message was sent from our local wildlife rehabilitation center, Centre Wildlife Care this morning.  It makes me so sad to think of these large birds stuck on an icy road, unable to move away from speeding traffic. 

"Keep a look out for grounded loons. We had 9 messages just over night about grounded loons. When it rains, they think roads and parking lots are bodies of water and land. The rain/ice storm must have hit at the same time as their migration. They can't walk or take off flying on land; they MUST be in a large body of water.

DO NOT RELEASE without talking to me...They cannot be released anywhere. They must be put in a large lake or river...NOT a pond.

If you see a loon, give us a call for assistance: 814-692-0004. Below is what they look like. Their legs are way back on their body...that is why they cannot walk on land or take off flying. They really are sitting ducks. They will not make it without help."

 

 

 

October Beginnings

October is here!  We have been:

~picking dahlias, both deep purple and creamy pink.  Next year I will definitely plant more.  They are the easiest plant to grow!

~raking leaves.  Tis the season!

~eating the last of the cucumbers.  This was a great year for them in our garden and my husband made another batch of easy pickles.

~enjoying our mother/daughter riding lessons twice a week.  We had a great sunny ride on Tuesday.  She is learning how to canter and I am working on remembering forgotten jumping skills.  Frank really becomes a different horse and perks up when he jumps, so even though he is definitely senior citizen age (87 in people years), he still enjoys short bouts of excitement.  (Then he is ready for a leafy carrot and a nap.)

~looking for migrating birds at the local boggy state park.  We didn't see any, but it was a beautiful day just the same.  It is at a slightly higher elevation than our neighborhood and the trees were much more colorful.  

~knitting my Dreyma sweater.  I am loving the naturally colored gray and cream yarn that I chose.  

~feeling very proud and happy about my Jarrahdale Blue pumpkins.  One is picked, two more still on the vine, but almost ready.  This is a new variety for me and I am so excited, even though they are no harder to grow than orange pumpkins!

Happy Autumn!

Four

Several times during the past week I have intended to sit down and write a blog post.  But then the day gets filled and there was no time.  Which is fine, really, and as it should be.  It makes me smile though to think back on all the free time I somehow had when the little babe was actually little and I wrote multiple blog posts a week.  Crazy.  However, our days are filled with goodness now and if I have less time to document it because I am actually doing it, that is fine.  And so many of the things that make up life now wouldn't necessarily make for a good photo, so let me tell you about some of them and you can make up your own image.

~Four quarts of homemade pickles in my fridge.  I have always struck out with cucumbers for some reason, but this reason I am the cucumber queen!  I have about ten vines and have never eaten so many cucumbers in my life.  My favorite way is super simple:  chopped cukes, hunks of feta cheese, a splash of olive oil and red wine vinegar, and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Crunch!

~Four skeins of silvery mouse gray bulky wool squashed into a bag with one skein of super bright pink bulky.  My next knitting project is the Mini Meow for my little cat lover.  After this, I will need something very neutral and soothing...

~Four milkshakes consumed by the little babe and I during four days at two different agriculture fairs in the area.  There were interesting horse events at both and we had a good time.  Did you know that you could get a "twist" milkshake (choc on bottom, vanilla on top)?  Yum!

~Four hooves jumping over low crossrails with a rider who has not jumped in twenty years.  Frank and I have started jumping and we are having a great time.  My smart old man knows exactly what to do and enjoys doing it - I simply have to point him in the right direction and hang on.  It isn't pretty, but it makes me smile.

~Four months left in this year.  September is almost here:  the sun is sinking earlier, even the little babe noticed it.  The mornings are cooler with more dew on the ground.  The tomato plants are still producing, but have slowed down.  The pumpkin vines are still vigorously taking over the trellis though.  

All good things.  Happy weekend folks.

 

August Goodness

I haven't done a Thankful Tuesday post in forever; just too much in life going on to post on a regular schedule.  Rain is falling right now, the roasted tomato and garlic soup is ready for dinner, I cleaned enough for the day, and the little babe is at the farmers market with her father.  So I have a couple of minutes to give thanks.

~A Sunday morning trip to the barn for the whole family.  It was a great morning for riding outside and I am only comfortable doing it if I have another adult with me.  I am thankful that my husband is willing to come along.

~Time with my Mom.  I'm thankful she is willing to make the drive up and over the mountain to see us.

~Hummingbirds!  We have a pair of Ruby Throated Hummingbirds that have been visiting our yard everyday and I don't tire of seeing them.

~Joe Pye Weed!  This Pennsylvania native plant is awesome and if you don't have any in your yard and you are interested in helping out pollinators or just getting a close-up view of butterflies, you should definitely plant some!  I have one bush that has gotten bigger every year and is now five feet tall.  It has been absolutely covered in bees and butterflies of all sorts.  Last evening there were three Monarchs and one Easter Swallowtail having dinner along with about twenty bees.  It is a pretty dusky mauve color with burgundy stalks and green leaves - I love it!

(This is been a hangout spot of the hummingbirds - they like the Bee Balm and then perch on the wire fence.)

(Little lady, gentle horse.)

(These smaller dahlia blooms have been a big hit with the bees also.)

Summer is still here, let the goodness continue!

The Garden In July

I wanted a couple of photos of the garden before we left for our vacation.  When I return, all could be lost.  I have cucumber, beans, tomatoes, and squash forming.  Nasturtiums, nigella, bee balm, coreopsis, dahlias, corn flowers, lilies, phlox, calendula, echinacea, and yarrow, tons of yarrow blooming.  The white liatris will probably bloom while I am gone.  I debated about pulling the garlic, but think I'll leave it in the ground until we return.  The beets and carrots will keep growing, hopefully hiding underground.  This is the best that my garden has ever looked and I am scared of what will happen while I am gone.  The groundhog ran right behind my husband in the shed yesterday.  It looks like a young one and I always feel bad trapping and relocating, BUT I want my garden to grow!  So we will see.  The rabbits have been pesky, jumping a foot off the ground and wriggling through holes smaller than I thought they would.  Those leafy carrot tops are just too tempting...

I hope you have some pretty flowers in your life.  They are simple pleasures that don't last long, but they can bring so much joy.

Summer Snoozing

So things have been quiet here in blogland, but pretty busy in real life.  That's the way it should be, right?  The garden is doing really well, though I just saw a groundhog in the neighbor's yard yesterday.  Really bad news.  I think I'm going to be proactive and set the trap before an invasion begins.  I have cucumbers growing, mystery squash twining, beans flowering, chamomile smelling like pineapple, poppy flowers living their short but beautiful life, and carrot tops for my bunny.  Amazingly, our Spring lettuce is still edible and crisp.  The stalks keep growing up, but they are still producing nice leaves for me to snip.  My parsnip tops are knee high - so many more months to wait!   And I have beets, real beets!  Our soil is very poor and beets have just never grown, but this year, they like the garden bed next to the chicken yard and they are doing their beet thing.  Bring on the goat cheese!

Last week I did something new - I went for a mini trail ride!  In all my years of riding as a child and teenager, I only ever rode outside a ring once.  Kind of crazy thought, right?  At the barn that I ride at now, there is a good trail system and trail riding is a regular thing.  Since I started riding again, I have longed to go for a trail ride, but I haven't had the chance.  Last Thursday was a beautiful quiet morning at the barn and when a fellow rider asked if I wanted to ride to the top of the hill, I said yes.  We exercised them in the outdoor ring, then headed up the hill.  It was only for a couple minutes because the bugs were driving my thin skinned Thoroughbred crazy, but the sky was blue, the grass was green, and I was outside on my own horse.  It was enough for me.

 

The Runty Carrot

There was a little carrot that was eaten to the ground, it disappeared so quickly, it didn't make a sound.

It tried so hard to grow so tall, to hide itself from view, but the hungry creatures found it, they somehow always knew.

When the Summer weather ended and Fall was coming near, the little runty carrot was left for another year.

Under snow it stayed it alive, doing its carrot thing, then when the soil started to warm, the carrot said, "It's Spring!"

I knew it wouldn't taste good.  Since it was its second year, it was sending energy up, not down, so I let it be.  It looks pretty and everyone can use more carrot seeds!  I like to think of it as my garden talisman, warding off the hungry creatures this year.  Fingers crossed.